Aguirre, the Wrath of God

1972. West Germany. Written and directed by Werner Herzog. With Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro. The storied collaboration between Herzog and Kinski is peppered with sensational tales. Herzog threatened to kill his lead actor during the production of this film—the first of five that they would go on to make together. "Yeah. That's all true. I wanted to kill him too" (Kinski). So began a frenzied chapter in the careers of both director and actor during the surge of new German cinema. In Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Kinski plays a monomaniacal conquistador hell-bent on finding El Dorado. After mutinying from Pizarro's 1560 expedition in Peru, he leads his followers on a dizzying journey into insanity. Kinski's hypnotic onscreen presence is pitch-perfect for Herzog's tale of ambition, power, and madness. In German; English subtitles. 95 min.

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